Bing to launch event-planning feature

Searching for a venue and the word 'events' will now bring up a timetable of
what's on in Microsoft's search engine Bing

By Gianluca Mezzofiore

7:00AM BST 25 Sep 2011

Microsoft’s search engine Bing is to launch a new event-planning feature that will make it easier to organise nights out. Bing Events – the name of the new social planning tool – is a further attempt to raise the stakes in Bing's battle with Google for search engine dominance. Google currently retains the vast majority of the UK search market, however.

“This is the first time a major search engine has provided a fully comprehensive events listing with all the details needed to ensure a fun night out,” reads a Microsoft statement.The new search feature covers 90,000 events in over 10,000 venues in more than 2,450 UK locations.

When a user types in a place name, or a musical gig, followed by the word “events”, a timetable of events will now be offered. If a particular band or artist is playing, the user can search for the name plus ‘events’ and then click on the events tab. Events are sorted by date and event category, along with information on maps, directions, restaurants and parking information.

Bing has also announced that it will feature a HTML5-powered moving image on its homepage. Experts have already dubbed the move “Google-doodle mimicry”, with reference to the popular Google habit of posting special images or animations to celebrate a famous person born on that day. Unlike Google, though, Microsoft says there won't be a Bing doodle every day, "just when the mood strikes us".